The King and the Magus
by Admiral Valerian
Summary: Zelretch asks Waver for a favour, and later sends a certain package to Rin Tohsaka. What lies within the package? Go beyond the horizon and find out.


Disclaimer: I do not own Fate, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

The King and the Magus

Chapter 1

Lord Waver El-Melloi II sighed as he sat back behind his desk in his office at the Clock Tower. "Whoever said this job was worth it is off his rocker…" he grumbled, rummaging through his cabinets for a fresh cigar. Not finding one, he cursed before heading for the hidden private bar in his office, and pouring himself a glass of scotch. He savoured a mouthful, feeling the alcohol burn its way down his throat, and felt the stress lessen somewhat. He took another drink, when someone unannounced entered his office.

"El-Melloi, can I have a word?" Zelretch said, causing Waver to choke on his scotch. Of all people, why did it have to be the infamous Wizard Marshall…this just wasn't his day.

"Can I help you, Lord Second?" he asked cautiously, offering a glass of scotch which the magician accepted before giving a reply.

"Yes, you could actually. As I understand it, you still have your catalyst from the Fourth Holy Grail War, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. What of it?"

"I was wondering if I could have it."

"…planning to enter the Grail Wars of Fuyuki, are you now?"

"Of course not…" Zelretch said, looking offended at the idea and causing Waver to roll his eyes. "…but a prospective student of mine is, and I think giving it to her might be of use as a test of her abilities."

Waver mused on that for a moment, wondering what his King would want him to do. On one hand, that catalyst was the only physical reminder of his King that he possessed, and he was somewhat unwilling to give it up. On the other hand, Zelretch's prospective student might benefit from the King's wisdom…assuming she could actually summon him in the first place. And finally he was certain the King would want him to give others a fair chance to walk the road to Oceanus.

"…very well." Waver said with a nod. "But you owe me for this, Lord Second."

"Of course, fair is fair after all El-Melloi."

* * *

Rin read the letter that came with the package from the Clock Tower one last time before beginning the summoning ritual for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

_Rin Tohsaka,_

_ We've never met, but one of your ancestors, a certain Nagato Tohsaka if I remember correctly, was one of my prized students. That was a long time ago, but the Tohsaka bloodline has once again come to my attention, for reasons that shall remain private. However, as a sign of recognition for both your talents and that of late Nagato, I present you a catalyst for the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War. The identity of the Servant to be summoned you shall have to learn for yourself, but I will say this: this Servant and his characteristics would be most beneficial for you to interact with and learn from. I strongly recommend that you summon him as soon as you receive this letter. Statistics-wise, he may be summoned either as Rider, Sabre, or as Caster, but his talents are best suited for the Rider-class. However, according to my…calculations, unless you summon him the same day you receive this, you may not summon him as Rider, and would put yourself at a disadvantage. I understand you have misgivings about summoning a Rider-class, and an unknown one – at least to you – at that, but I assure on my honour as the Second Magician that this Servant is not only of benefit to you as a person, but also as an ally in the Fifth Holy Grail War._

_Sincerely, Kilua Zelretch Schweinorg_

_PS: Should you survive the Fifth Holy Grail War and have followed my…recommendations, I would be more than pleased to sponsor your entry into the Clock Tower._

Rin sighed in resignation as she put the letter down and picked up the catalyst: a dark red piece of worn fabric that looked like it had been torn from a cloak or a cape. She would have preferred to perform the summoning later on, and to attempt to summon a Sabre-class, but the Lord Second's glowing recommendations weren't something to be set aside so easily…or for that matter, the promised bribe of such a high-ranking sponsorship into the Clock Tower. And then again, the Rider-class had a reputation for versatility, described as a mounted terror on the battlefield.

"Silver and iron to the origin." Rin began to cast, holding out the catalyst on her hands, her eyes closed as the prepared summoning circle she was standing in the middle of began to glow a brilliant blue. "Gems and contracts to the cornerstone. The witness is my great master Schweinorg. The winds fall into the well. The gates of the four directions close, the crown and the three-forked road to the throne become a circle. Fill…fill…fill…fill…fill…the starting number is five. Shatter once filled, so I declare yourself under me, my fate to your sword. By the power of the Holy Grail, answer my call. This is my oath: I shall be the good of all creation, and the evil of all creation. Seven heavens bound by three words of power, emerge from the circle of protection, keeper of balance!"

As the summoning was completed, the circle flared blindingly bright, a figure materializing before Rin. The Servant was a tall man at two metres in height, with large muscles and chiselled features. His hair and beard were red, and he wore bronze armour and a crimson cape that matched the catalyst in her hands. "So, you're the one who summoned me little girl? Hmm, I have to ask something first before I accept your contract. Tell me, are you willing to ride with me onto the battlefield?"

Rin bristled at the question, and she snapped out "What do you take me for, a coward? I'm not the type who'd fight from the shadows with spells and familiars while others risk their lives in the open…"

Rin's tirade was cut off when the Servant began to laugh good-naturedly. "That's good to hear, child. I am the Servant Rider, and I accept your contract. Together, let us ride into battle and claim the Holy Grail!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Zouken and Shinji looked on with apprehension as the purple glow of Sakura's summoning circle shifted to an angry red. Sakura's eyes widened in alarm, as she felt the immaterial touch of the Servant she had been about to summon vanish, as its place in the Holy Grail was filled by another. However, by no means was her call rejected, as the Grail reached out and selected another spirit for her to command…shortly before the summoning circle exploded and sent all three of them flying to slam against the wall.

"A rebound…?" Zouken hissed, pulling himself to his feet.

Some distance away, Shinji sneered as stood up. "Somehow I'm not surprised Sakura failed to summon a Servant." He spat, delivering a kick to his stepsister's torso, causing her to whimper and curl up in pain.

"That's enough of that." Another voice interjected, surprising all three Matou Clan members, all of whom turned to see a tan, silver-haired man slouching on a pile of rubble. The Servant grimaced as he pulled off a twitching worm from his arm and toss it to the side. "Really now, you're my Master's allies? Boy, touch her again, and you'll be lucky if I just rip off one of your arms."

"Now hold on…!" Shinji shouted, pulling out a book…only to collapse whimpering in terror as the book burst into flames when the Servant had casually thrown a silvered dagger out of nowhere and sent it plunging all the way to the hilt in the book.

"Right, we're done with that. Who's next?" the Servant drawled lazily before a wincing Sakura shakily stood up.

"Um…are you my Servant?" she asked, and the man smirked.

"I would have thought that obvious." He replied in an off-hand fashion. "Just call me Archer, if you please."

* * *

"You really like that book, don't you?" Rin observed, watching Rider bury himself in her copy of the Iliad while she ate her breakfast.

"Of course, the Iliad is my favourite book." Rider replied without looking at her. "It always has been. Achilles in particular is a great inspiration to me."

"Well, I agree it is a grand epic…" Rin replied somewhat lamely, running a hand through her hair. "…anyway now onto business; last night I was too tired to ask this question, but who are you really?"

"Oh, I was wondering about why you didn't ask me about that too." Rider responded, closing the book and standing up. "I am the Lord of War, the Maharajah, the King of Conquerors who conquered the world, Iskander!"

Rin's jaw dropped as she stared at Iskander, who had stricken a theatrical pose as he revealed his true identity. "No way…you're Alexander the Great? You're the man who conquered the entirety of the Ancient World?"

"That is right!"

Rin fainted.

* * *

"_It would be so easy to kill him now._" Archer thought to himself, as he hovered in astral form and watched Sakura eat with Shiro and Taiga in the Emiya Household's dining room. "_But it would also be too rash. As much as I hate to admit it, it's probably for the best to let Sabre be summoned first to draw out the enemy opposition. Still, I never expected to be summoned by Sakura of all people. If so, then who summoned Rider? Is it Rin? Or did she summon someone else?_"

* * *

"She'll be fine." Kirei said, tucking Rin into her bed while Iskander looked on in concern. He had come after the school had contacted – he was her legal guardian after all – that Rin had apparently skipped class today, only to meet someone he had never expected to see again after the Fourth Holy Grail War came to an end. Gilgamesh would undoubtedly be pleased to hear of that the King of Conquerors had returned to the world yet again…assuming he could find him. The blonde had a habit of wandering off to do whatever it was that took his fancy whenever the mood was on him, all the while not telling anyone where he was going, or when he was going to back for that matter. "Apparently, she was overcome by the shock of summoning one such as you. After all, meeting Alexander the Great is something one would not normally be prepared for."

"That's true." Iskander said. "How long will it be before she wakes up?"

"A few hours or so..." Kirei said, shrugging. "…don't worry; apart from the fact that she's out cold, she's perfectly healthy. But now let me ask you this, Servant Rider: do you desire the Holy Grail?"

"…must you ask that question?"

"Of course, my task as Overseer obliges me to confirm that any and all participants are truly willing to participate in this event. It makes things all the simpler in the end."

"Yes, I seek the Holy Grail. With it, I shall ride to the ends of the Earth once again, and in this modern era, perhaps to the stars as well."

"What of your Master? Would she accept your wish?"

"Good question…but I believe she will in the end. I have met many others who opposed me at first in life, but in the end they too sought to see what lay on the other side of the sky, and rode by my side all the way to the legendary shore. Rin is young, and to me at least, confused about her way in life. As a King and one who will fight by her side, it is my obligation and privilege to show her the proper path."

Kirei smiled; normally, he would be obliged as the Church's representative to oppose Iskander's wish…but personally he wanted the King of Conquerors to succeed. Their methods were very different, but in the end both the King of Heroes and the King of Conquerors sought the same thing and that was to awaken the old spirit of grandness and ambition that had once ruled the hearts of men, and which the modern world had long forgotten. Either way, Kirei knew that the Kings' movements would bring him great amusement.

"In that case, Servant Rider, I welcome you and Rin to this Fifth Holy Grail War."

* * *

"_Master, can you feel it?_" Archer asked Sakura silently, and the girl nodded softly while in class.

"_Yes I can, Archer._" She silently replied. "_But please stop calling me Master, and just call me Sakura._"

"…_very well Sakura._" He replied after a short pause. "_What are your orders?_"

"_Do what you think best, but try to minimize the damage. Wait until everyone in school has left, then…_"

"_I understand, Sakura._"

* * *

Rin slowly blinked herself awake, and was surprised to find herself in her bed. Sitting up suddenly, she found herself still in her uniform to her relief. "Oh good, you're awake." Iskander noted, sitting by her bed and still reading the Iliad by the light of her bedside lamp.

"Rider…" she said, before her eyes opened wide. "…are you really Alexander the Great?"

"Yes, that's me."

"That…that…anyway, sorry about fainting earlier, I was just surprised that's all." She apologized, blushing faintly as she realized that she had probably embarrassed herself before the King of Conquerors.

"Don't worry about it." Iskander told her reassuringly. "As Kirei said, it's not like you could have expected me to have been summoned of all people."

"…Kirei?" she echoed in mounting horror. "He was here?"

"Apparently he found out that you hadn't gone to school, so he came by to check in on you. He's accepted us into the event, by the way."

Rin sighed, lying back on her bed. "Well, I suppose that spares me the trouble of going all the way to Kotomine Church to register."

"Are you alright now, Rin?"

"Yeah, I suppose I am." She replied, getting out of bed. "Thanks for asking."

"Good…" Iskander said, standing up as well and giving her a thoughtful smile that sent a thrill of apprehension through her. "…if that's the case, then I suppose it's time we made our debut on the battlefield, wouldn't you agree?"

"Huh? Wait, we haven't come up with a proper…"

"Ah, yes that's true. But sometimes, the best strategies are thought off on the spot. Let that be my first piece of advice to you, my young friend."

Rin just sat on the edge of her bed, all her self-control spent on keeping her jaw from dropping…again. But then again, this was Alexander the Great who was talking to her. If he thought a frontal assault right into the heat of the Fifth Holy Grail War was the appropriate course, then perhaps it wasn't that bad of an idea. He did conquer the world after all.

"Oh alright, we'll do this your way."

* * *

"Hey there, beautiful night isn't it?" Lancer greeted Archer as they stood atop Homurabara Academy.

"A lance…" Archer observed redundantly. "…the Servant Lancer I take it?"

"Correct…" Lancer replied, taking his stance and noting with some irritation that Archer retained his cool and unconcerned demeanour. "…if you know that, then that means you're an enemy. Where's your Master?"

"She's none of your concern." Archer replied laconically, and Lancer grinned.

"True, a magus isn't a concern for us, isn't that right?"

Archer just looked on stoically, irritating the other Servant. "Oh, giving me the silent treatment, are you? In that case…DIE!" Lancer shouted, springing forward into the offensive. Archer dodged at the last second, the crimson lance stabbing into the concrete while the silver-haired Servant materialized his favoured swords and sent them flying in a boomerang-like fashion towards the other Servant.

Lancer deflected both swords with ease, but this just gave Archer the chance to somersault down to the ground and rematerialize both Kanshou and Bakuya, with which he countered a fresh assault from Lancer. Springing backwards, Lancer reformed his stance before launching a fresh barrage of stabs and sweeping slashes at Archer, who parried or dodged all the attacks.

"You're pretty good." Lancer grudgingly conceded; his opponent was clearly on the defensive, yet he could tell that the guy probably had a few tricks up his sleeve. "Who are you, and what's your class? Somehow I doubt you're Sabre."

"I have no need to answer those questions." Archer replied, focusing on dodging and defending. "Although I must say your identity is all but compromised. There's only one Lancer in the world as good as you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Lancer said, knocking away one of Archer's swords. Archer threw the other sword at Lancer who deflected it, but this only allowed Archer to rematerialize both swords and launch a counterattack. Lancer managed to dodge Archer's swings, but he grimaced in grudging recognition of the threat – Archer was no pushover.

A gasp from behind them interrupted the battle, causing both Servants to look away from each other. Blanching at the realization that he'd been spotted, Shiro Emiya turned and ran. Lancer made to pursue while Archer flung both his swords in what he calculated would be the optimum direction to intercept and most likely kill the fleeing boy…at least, he hoped that would be it, because even as Lancer leapt away and his swords left his hands, bolts of lightning slammed down onto the ground between them and the school.

"Cease and desist, fellow heroes!" the newly-arrived Servant bellowed, stunning both Lancer and Archer out of sheer surprise. Standing in a chariot drawn by a pair of divine bulls – there was no mistaking the aura pouring off of the majestic beasts – with hooves and wheels wreathed with slowly fading lightning, the Servant Rider regarded both Lancer and Archer with an appraising eye.

"I am Iskander, the King of Conquerors, and I come before you with a proposition. This fighting amongst us Heroic Spirits is of little meaning, so I ask of you, no, I invite you to join my great army, and together share the blessings of the Holy Grail amongst us and all those that follow!"

To say that Lancer and Archer were surprised would be an understatement; completely stupefied by astonishment would be more accurate. Lancer's grip on his lance had grown slack, and both his and Archer's mouths hung open in surprise.

"What are you doing Rider?" Rin asked beside her Servant, aghast at what he had just done. "You revealed your identity…and now you're asking them to surrender to you the Holy Grail? Scratch that, you actually plan on sharing its power among them?"

"I don't see why not." Rider replied in all honesty, and once again Rin's mouth fell open. "Victory isn't always determined by clashing blades, no, I actually believe that battles won without any bloodshed are the greatest victories of all."

"…RIDER!"

* * *

A/N

This idea has been bouncing around my head for a while now, so I thought I should get it out before working on other fics. Anyway, what do you people think? I hope Rin and Rider aren't too OOC.


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